Caged Birds
by E. M. Morning
Summary: It's every man for his self in the Chambers house. Eyeball will do anything it takes to get out of there, but like anything in life, freedom comes with a price.
1. Chapter One

Growing up in the Chambers household is like growing up for a war zone. In a world that is short on money and with an abundance of alcohol, there is little chance of making without a few battle scars. It is a place of anger and violence ran by one of the meanest men of Castle Rock. Dennis Chambers is a dictator over his family. His word is law. Anyone who is foolish enough to cross it will pay a hefty price. Aside from whatever random set of rules Mr. Chambers set in place there is only one that has been created by the other family members, and that is to survive. It is every man for his self in this home; the weak will fall and only the lucky will make it out alive, hopefully as soon as possible.

It is no wonder that the Chambers kids are messed up. Having come from a dysfunctional family; it would be difficult not to. Everyone in town knows that they are trouble, particularly the two eldest. Richard, more commonly known as Eyeball, is a part of a small gang made up of other troubled local boys. Because very few of the boys have the urge to return to their not-so-happy-homes, they stay out late partying and causing minor but still destructive offences. At the age of seventeen Eyeball already has created quite the reputation for himself and is quickly catching up to his father.

Then there is Dixie, the eldest and only girl out of the Chambers kids. She is not the brightest crayon in the box, nor is she the prettiest girl in town, but her outgoing, nearly aggressive personality made her attractive enough to bring a few boys her way. Like her brother, Dixie refuses to stay at home long and spends much of her time with various boyfriends. Right before her eighteenth birthday her small figure began to swell, and a few months later she walked down the aisle to wed a classmate named Roy. They have now moved into a trailer far away from her childhood home and are awaiting the arrival of their first born child. In her spare time Dixie knits tiny, pink hats and socks in hopes that her baby will be a girl. After putting up with two brothers for so long, it would be nice to have a little girl in her life.

Chris is the youngest of the three. He is well behaved compared to his siblings. For the most part he kept to himself and did quite well with his school work. There was hope for Chris- was being the key word here. After an incident of vanishing milk money and Chris taking a mini vacation from school, there is little hope left. At age twelve his density has already been chosen. Everyone, including Chris, knows that he will turn out bad just like the rest of his family. There is no way to change it.

As previously stated, all three Chambers children try to spend as much time away from home as humanly possible. Dixie has no problem now that she has a family of her own to tend to. Once Eyeball's friends had gotten cars, he was free to leave the house more often and able to stay out longer. He does this as often as permitted. Chris, who does not own a bike, relies on his friends for escape. Since he does not have any mode of transportation he travels by foot, which often leaves him at stuck at home more often than his brother.

Chris does not like it when his brother leaves, at least not when he is left on his own. There are times where he is just near begging for Eyeball to stay. One December evening he finds himself in this position again. Chris is in the bedroom that he shares with Eyeball, sitting on the edge of his bed as he watches his brother as he prepares to take on the night. It is nearly eleven o'clock, and Chris is already in his pajamas. He should be sleeping now. His father could come home any minute now and find him awake. The outcome may not be good.

"I don't know why you have to go out so late," Chris says.

"It's not even late," Eyeball says as he pulls a white t-shirt over his head. "Nothing good ever happens until at least midnight."

"Like what?"

Eyeball scoffs. "Nothing you need to know about."

"Why?"

"You're a kid, stupid. It ain't kid stuff."

Chris picks at the dingy bed sheets. "Well, if nothing good starts until midnight then maybe you can stay here for a little bit longer. Just until Dad goes to sleep."

"Not a chance. Who knows when the fuck that will be." Eyeball glances over at his brother and notices the look of worry on the boy's face. "Just don't say anything stupid or look at him and you'll be fine. It will probably be best if you stay in here."

As good as the advice may sound, both brothers know that in the end it may not being any help. There have been nights when their father returned home drunk and pulled someone out of bed to scream at him or her in a drunken rage. Now that Dixie is out of the picture and Eyeball is nearly too big to push around, Chris often becomes the target of their father's bullying.

A loud horn blares impatiently outside. The two brothers look out towards the window. There is Ace and the other guys; Eyeball must leave now. Chris sighs quietly through his nose as a feeling of dread kicks in. He has lost. He must spend the rest of the night on his own. Chris lies down in his bed, turning onto his side and pulls the blanket up around himself.

Eyeball watches his younger brother as he slips on his leather jacket. He does not want to leave Chris in this position, but there is no way he can stay in this house any longer. For a moment he lets his tough guy persona fall a bit. "You'll be fine," he says, his voice softer than usual. He roughly messes with Chris' hair as he passes by. "Stay safe, kid."

Chris does not reply. Eyeball hits the light switch and leaves the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Chris waits in silence. He stares at the darkened walls, not ready to close his eyes. He can his hear his brother outside, loudly chatting with his friends. A minute later they take off, peeling loudly out of the driveway hollering. Chris is now alone, at least for awhile. He closes his eyes, hoping that sleep will take over soon rather than later. A prayer pops into his mind. His family has never been particularly religious, but in his younger years his mother would make him and his siblings recite this certain prayer before bedtime.

_Now I lay me down to sleep._

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep._

_And if I should die before I wake,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to take._

Chris repeats the prayer in his mind several times. It is childish, but it brings some sort of comfort. Hopefully there is a god up there watching and these words are enough to protect him through the night. Everything is ok, Chris tells himself. Everything will be fine.

* * *

><p><strong>So, this is a pretty short chapter and there is not much going on. I do promise that it will start picking up after this! The next chapter will be much longer and will have more going on. It should pick up rather quickly, or so I hope. This is my first time writing in this fandom so I apologize for it not being too good. <strong>


	2. Chapter Two

Eyeball does not come home mid-afternoon. He decided to not return during the night and early morning hours. He was far too drunk, and the commotion of his arrival surely would have woken a certain member of the household that did not need any waking. Instead, Eyeball chose to play it safe and wait at his friend's house until he was sober enough to pass his father's test.

"It would be a lot easier to face him if I were drunk," Eyeball mumbles to himself as walks down the street where he lives. As he nears the house, Eyeball notices that his father's car is still sitting in the driveway. This is not a good sign. Either the man is too drunk to go into work or has been fired, which means he will most likely be drinking fueling his anger with alcohol now. Either way it will not be good.

As soon as he enters the house, Eyeball can sense a change. There is something about the atmosphere. A thick cloud of static fills the air with an unusual silence. The house is never this quiet, especially not when there are people around. "Hello?" Eyeball calls out as he steps further into the living room. He waits for someone to answer, anybody, but there is no reply. "Anyone here? Mom? Chris?" Right away he remembers his mother will not be home. She is at work, trying to pick up the slack her husband left behind. Chris is a maybe. He usually replies right away, though. He is probably out with his loser friends again, Eyeball figures.

A soft noise comes from the kitchen. It nearly sounds like a cat, but that can't be. The family does not own a cat. Eyeball listens for the sound again before going into the kitchen to investigate. As he draws closer the noise sounds more gurgled as if the cat, or whatever is making the noise, is drowning.

Eyeball stops in the kitchen doorway. He can no longer move. His brain tries to process the image before him, but it seems impossible. There is his brother lying on the floor, painfully and slowly moving about like an injured worm. The gurgling noises are coming from Chris. He struggles to speak as he clutches at his stomach, the apparent source of his pain. Then the blood registers. Oh, the blood! It is everywhere. On Chris' shirt. A few blood handprints and some splatter decorate the cabinets and part of the floor. A rather good size of it pools beneath the young boy's body. There is a trail of red footprints leaving the spot where Chris lays, heading in a direction away from him.

Eyeball screams as he finally is able to put the pieces together. Chris and the blood; too much blood. Chris is dying. He needs to do something. Eyeball rushes over to his brother's body and kneels beside him. His jeans become damp with blood; Chris' blood. The smell of it is over powering, but Eyeball tries his best to ignore it. "What the fuck is going on?" he asks.

Chris tries to speak but he cannot. It is too difficult. All he can manage is a make a few gurgled sounds before his mouth is filled with the red liquid again. Shaking terribly, Chris reaches forward out towards his brother. Eyeball takes the much smaller hand and holds onto it tightly. He needs to call an ambulance or the police. He needs to get help now. "It- it's ok," he says, quickly. "I'm going to get you help. It's going to be ok." He tries to stand up, but Chris continues to hold onto him. "Chris, let go. I need to go call someone before-." He cannot finish his sentence. It is too terrible to think of. Sure his little brother is a pain in the ass, but he cannot lose him, not like this.

Eyeball becomes aware of another presence in the room. He can hear the person's heavy breaths off to the side. He slowly turns his head and sees their father standing there, watching them. Just standing there and watching; he does not even seemed to be fazed by what is going on. The man wears his same blank expression, the one when he is caught up between the limbo of being under the influence and being sober.

"Dad," Eyeball chokes out. "You got to help us. You got to help Chris." Then he notices something. More blood. It is on his father's hands. It is on his face and clothing as well. Dennis Chambers is covered in blood, and it can belong to only one person.

"Dad," the teen repeats. "Wha-What did you do?" Fury and tears build up as Eyeball begins to understand what the blood means and what his brother had been trying to tell him. Their father had done this. The man has always been a mean drunk, never hesitant to slap around or beat his children and wife. But it had never been to this magnitude before. "What did you do?" Eyeball says again, this time much louder. The man does not move. He doesn't even blink. "What did you fucking do? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Chris whimpers again, and Eyeball's turns his attention back to his brother. He can see tears falling from Chris' eyes, trickling down his face and mixing with small flecks of blood. He is in so much pain, and Eyeball cannot bare it. He starts to cry too. "You've got to do something!" he yells, looking at his father again. "For God's sake do something besides just stand there for once! He's dying! Don't you get that? Go get help you dumb son of a-."

And then their father moves. Dennis Chambers walks back out of the kitchen without saying a word, leaving his boys to deal with this on their own. He moves slowly, his body sagging like a zombie. He is not there, Eyeball knows it. The only way they can get help is if Eyeball does it himself, but Chris will not let go. He uses the last of strength to cling to his brother, and Eyeball is not about ready to let go. He has already left Chris once when he needed him; he will not do it again. Judging by the amount of blood on the floor it is already too late. Chris will die here in the kitchen, and all Eyeball can do now is hold on to him and comfort him as the boy passes away.

"It's ok," Eyeball tells him again. He keeps his voice soft and tries to make it as reassuring as possible, but he knows he is not good at these types of things. He knows that it's not going to be ok and Chris probably knows that too. Still, the best he can do is try. "It's going to be ok. Just- just try to relax and." He trails off. "Fuck, I don't know! Think about open fields or Jesus or something stupid like that. Fuck if I know. What the hell am I supposed to say?"

He can see a ghost of a smile of Chris' lips. At least he will be able to get one last laugh in before he is gone. The smile quickly fades as pain once again shoots its way through Chris' body. The boy moans again. His body contorts against the slippery surface of the floor. Eyeball tries his best to stay calm, it is all he can do to keep whatever sanity he has left. "It's ok," he repeats. "Just close your eyes. Everything is going to be ok."

Chris's breathing is rapidly slowing down now. His movements are becoming less. He listens to his brother, hanging on his every word. Eyeball closes Chris' eyes for him, and the boy is thankful. He is too tired to do it on his own. Gradually he begins to feel less. His body is slipping further and further away from him until he can no longer feel anything. All he can hear is his brother's voice.

_Everything is going to be ok._

Yes. Everything is ok now.

But of course it wasn't, at least not for Eyeball. He still kneels beside Chris, his brother's blood soaking into his jeans. What does he do now? Chris is gone. Eyeball can already feel his hands cooling. Chris' hands; they look so small and underdeveloped in his own. Now they will never grow. Gone forever, Eyeball thinks. How long is forever?

Someone enters the kitchen. Eyeball looks over and see his father standing a few feet away holding two thick blankets. His face is still shows no emotion. "What the fuck are you looking at?" the man asks blandly. "Make yourself useful and help me."

"Wha-what?"

"Help me take care of this before your mother gets back."

Take care of this? Chris? Eyeball rubs his thumb against the base Chris' index finger. The skin is already cooling. "What do you mean?" Eyeball asks.

"Duh, you dumb fuck. We can't leave him here like this. How the hell do you think your mother is going to react if she saw this?"

Their mother. She is going to be devastated, of course. Chris was one of the few people that could help keep her sane, and the only one left of her children she had some chance left at babying. They can hide the blood, but there is no way they can cover up Chris' absence. "What are we going to do with him?"

"We can't leave the body," his father says in a matter of fact voice. He lays the two blankets down, and walks over towards the body. He slips his hands beneath Chris' arms and pulls him upward. Eyeball releases the hand, letting it fall to the floor with a small thud. He winces at the sound.

"Grab his feet."

With the two working together, they manage to carry Chris over to the blankets. A few drops of blood fall from the body, and Eyeball tries his best to not slip on them or any of the other blood. They lay the body down. Dennis rolls the ends of the blankets together so that Chris is cocooned inside. Eyeball watches his father, wondering what they are going to do next. His question is quickly answered.

"Help me get it to the car."

"Car?"

"Well, we can't leave him here! Can we?"

"But-."

"Well?"

"B-but, Dad, that's Chris in there. We can't do this."

Dennis stands still for a moment, staring at the rolled up blankets and the body inside. His neutral expression changes to anger. "What the fuck else am I supposed to do?"

Now it is Eyeball who grows angry. "That's your kid in there, you dick! And you fucking killed him!"  
>"Do you think I don't know that?" Dennis shoots back. For the first time his voice wavers. "What do you thinks going to happen if I just leave him here? What do you think your mom will do if she found out all of this happened? Think she'll be able to handle it? Hell, she's one step away from completely falling off her rocker! And what if I go away? Who is going to take care of the family then?"<p>

Eyeball considers telling his father that he already doesn't do shit already, but now is not the time. "But we can't just dump him somewhere."

"We have to."

"And what if someone finds him?"

This gets Dennis thinking. "I'll have to come up with a plan; a good one. But we have to get this cleaned up first, and you're going to help me. You're just as much of a part of this as I am now."

Eyeball does not know how to react. His body feels as if it is frozen in time, as if this moment will never pass. If it were not for his father's angry and authoritative voice giving him commands, Eyeball would remain in his spot. He helps carry the body out of the house to the old, beat up car. His father sets down the half he is holding to go pop open the trunk. Eyeball, feeling awkward, sets the rest of Chris down onto the dirt driveway.

"What are you doing?" Dennis barks. "Pick that up!" Eyeball looks at Chris on the ground. He sees his sock covered feet sticking out and some blood that had managed to seep through the blanket. Once again he is immobilized. His father grumbles as he gets out of the car. "Fucking worthless, I tell you," he says roughly. "If you're going to just stand there, then at least keep watch. Make sure none of the neighbors are looking."

Dennis is able to lift his youngest son's body with ease, and places it inside. Eyeball flinches as the trunk is slammed shut. "Come on," his father says. "We still got a mess to clean up."

Eyeball is not much help during the clean up. The smell of the blood and the fact that it belongs to his brother is too powerful for him. He becomes sick, adding to the mess. Oddly, Dennis is able to keep his cool. He dismisses Eyeball without having to raise his voice. "Go to your room and pull yourself together before your mother gets back," is all he says.

It is over two hours later at four o'clock. His father works away in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess without asking for help. Is for the best; Dennis will able to come up with a cover up story without having to worry about his dumb son messing things up more. The day's events had worn out Eyeball, and he is able to fall into a restless sleep. He does not wake up until he hears the front door slam. Eyeball opens his eyes immediately, and waits for the next sound. Was it his father? Has he already cleaned up and got rid of the body? There are heavy footsteps on the stairs. Yes, it must be his father. The steps are much too loud to belong to his mother. His father must be finished.

Dennis opens the bedroom door. "Let's go," he orders.

Eyeball does what he is told, and follows his father down the stairs. "Did you get it all?"

"Of course I did."

"What are we going to do now?"

Dennis does not reply. He leads his son outside, right to the car. Eyeball hesitates before getting in. Chris is in the trunk, and he knows what is going to come of this trip. "Get in," Dennis demands. Once again, Eyeball follows his orders.

The two remain silent as they drive through town. Dennis does not turn on the radio to help ease the awkward silence. Eyeball considers turning it on, but it too fearful of his father at the moment. The man is back in one of his moods, Eyeball can tell by the look of his face, and he should not be disturbed. Eyeball tries to think of anything besides his current situation. He makes an attempt on focusing on the passing houses and not the idea of his little brother's body in the trunk, bouncing around as they hit pot holes.

They come to a stop in a wooded area. Dennis pops the trunk and gets out of the car first. Eyeball quickly follows. "Help me with this," Dennis says as he struggles to get a hold of Chris.

"No."

"What do you mean no? Get your lazy ass over here and help me with this!"

But Eyeball cannot do this, not any more. This is all too much. "We can't leave Chris here."

"Yeah, we can."

"In the woods? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Where else are we going to put him?" Dennis shouts back. "Let me hear your brilliant idea!"

Eyeball can sense the urgency his father's voice. He is just as scared as he is, possibly more. Maybe he can play up to this and get them out of here. "We can just take him back and get the police. We'll tell them it was an accident."

"An accident?" Dennis echoes back. He is on the verge of laughter. "You are retarded, aren't you? How the hell is anyone going to think this was an accident?"

"Wasn't it?"

Eyeball hasn't thought about it yet. He doesn't want to consider that his father had intentionally killed Chris. Even if he was a mean drunk, he could not be that cruel to do something so horrible on his own.

Dennis mumbles something he cannot understand.

"Just explain to them what happened. Tell them you were drunk. Tell them you weren't right in the head and didn't want this to happen. They'll understand. Maybe it won't be so bad." Dennis continues to try to remove Chris' body on his own. "We can't do this, Dad," Eyeball pleads again.

"We have to."

"There's no we. I'm not going to help you."

Then he snaps. Dennis drops the body, letting Chris fall to the hard dirt ground. His nostrils flare out in anger, prepared to fight. There is a burning fury in his eyes, one that Eyeball is all too familiar with. He takes a step back. Yes, it is possible that this man could kill and may do it again if he's not careful. "I don't know what's wrong with you kids!" Dennis growls. "I tried to raise you right, but all you do is talk back and run off! Now are you going to help me, or do you want to end up with your brother down there?"

So Eyeball helps his father. He takes Chris' feet and helps carry him down into a ditch. Once they lay him down, Dennis begins to remove the blankets. "What are you doing?" Eyeball exclaims. "Just leave him!"

"We need to make it look like someone else did it," Dennis says, simply. "They'll figure out who the blankets belong to. We need to get rid of them." He takes the blankets and sets them beside him in a pile. Then he grabs the end of Chris' t-shirt and struggles to work it up over his head.

"What are you doing?" Eyeball cries again. Dennis does not reply and continues to remove his son's clothing. "What the fuck are you doing to him?"

"I told you, we need to make it look like someone else did it."

"Why can't you at least leave his clothes on?"

"I'm trying to make it look like some pervert did him in."

Eyeball doesn't know what to say. The idea is all too shocking to him. He struggles more with this when he sees Chris' bare chest. Along with the gash marks, the skin is decorated by deep purple bruises. It was not only on his chest, but it was on his arms and neck too. Some of them looked older, more brown and yellow, but many of them were new and still painful looking. "What the fuck did you do to him?" Eyeball says quietly.

Dennis says nothing as he strips away his youngest son's pants. He hesitates as he ponders over the underwear. Yes, it will make the psychotic pervert scenario more plausible; they must go too. Once the pants are shed, more dark bruises can be seen on Chris' legs. The sight of them makes Eyeball's stomach turn.

"How did he even make you that mad?"

Dennis turns Chris over onto his stomach, and tries to set his stiff limbs into a position that would hopefully appear disturbingly alluring. He then gathers the clothing and blankets into his arms, rises to his feet, and walks back towards the car. He does not look back. Eyeball stares at his brother's bruised and naked body. "Aren't we going to cover him up?"

"What for?" Dennis asks as he opens the driver's door.

"I don't know. So they animals don't get him or something." Eyeball shudders at the thought of hungry scavengers picking away at Chris. "We can't leave him out here like this! Who knows how long it will take for someone to find him?"

"Get in."

"No!"  
>Dennis starts up the car. "Get in," he repeats.<p>

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Get in before I have to bash your skull in."

Eyeball looks at Chris. He's going to leave him behind again. Eyeball sighs and walks back to his father. He has lost everything now.

"Now you listen up," Dennis says as they begin to drive away. "I'm going to tell you the story. You better listen good, because this is what we're telling everyone. You can't miss a single detail of this. You got it?"

Eyeball nods. He tries his best to not look back at Chris. There is no turning back now; this is his new life.

* * *

><p><strong>So, how many of you hate me now? I do believe that one of the catagories I put it under was crime, so that was kind of a heads up! I'm sorry it took awhile to update and for the quality of this. There will be more characters coming in during the next chapter. I hope some will continue to read! I know it's not the most upbeat of stories, but well, it's what I came up with. Sorry! <strong>


	3. Chapter Three

Chris is gone now, left naked and abandoned in the woods for some other person else to find. There is nothing Eyeball can do for him now. He can only follow his father's orders and hope that this situation cannot get any worse, if that is even possible. Dennis had gone over the details of his master plan several times on the way home. Eyeball was reminded over and over again not to slip up. If he does, there will be dire consequences.

"And if you try anything funny to screw this up, you'll be joining your brother in that fucking ditch," Dennis says as they pull into the driveway. He stops the car, and looks at his son. "Now, do you need to hear the story again or can I trust that you ain't dumb enough to forget?"

Eyeball nods. The story goes that when he came home Chris was still there, healthy, alive, and was watching television. Eyeball had joined him for a moment, but quickly grew bored of it. Since he was still tired from last night's adventure, he went upstairs to take a nap. As he was going up the stairs, he heard Chris ask their father if he could to one of his friend's house. Dennis said yes, but only if Chris was back before dinner and brought some milk back with him. He had given Chris five dollars and told him he better bring the change back. Chris left, and they did not see him after that. No one did.

They will wait until late evening to call the police to report Chris missing. To help fuel the theory of an abduction, Dennis had tossed Chris' shoes into an alley near the grocery store. Eyeball does not know how the shoes ended up there. He does not know where Chris is. All he knows now is that his little brother is missing, probably taken by some creep.

But he wasn't.

No matter how elaborate and detailed Dennis makes their cover up, Eyeball knows that is not the truth. It is only a story, one that he is not sure he will be able to tell. He has never been a good liar. The truth is bound to come out, most likely from his mouth. The only thing keeping it in now is his father's threats.

Eyeball goes straight to his room. He cannot stand looking his father any longer. The man's voice alone is enough to steal what little bit of his sanity that is left. He needs quiet. He needs time to think and process all that has happened. Dennis has no problem with this; he still has a few minor touch ups before his wife, Marianne, comes home.

The first thing Eyeball notices when he opens the door to his bedroom is Chris' bed. He had not gotten around to making it this morning, and now he will never be able to. Eyeball goes straight for his own bed and lies down, burying his face into the sheets. The room no longer feels the same. It is much emptier.

Eyeball sighs. Will it always be like this now, he wonders. What will happen next? Surely the world can no longer go on, not without Chris. He can barely remember a time before his younger brother was in his life, and it seems impossible for him to be around. But Chris is no longer here. Yes, the world must stop now. He cannot imagine any other outcome.

* * *

><p>Just as she always does, Mrs. Chambers pulls into the drive way around five-thirty. The sound of the nearly broken down car wakes Eyeball. He does not go downstairs to greet his mother or gets up to watch her through the window. He remains in place, his face buried in the sheets and his head pounding with a growing headache. This is it. This is where their new story begins.<p>

"I'm home!" Marianne announces as she walks through the front door. Eyeball can hear the distant sound of her heels as she steps further into the house. "Chris? Richie? Where is everyone?"

There are more footsteps, much heavier ones. Dennis must be making his first move. "Chris went out with friends," he says. "Richard is upstairs sleeping or doing some stupid shit. Hell if I know."

"Oh. Do you know when Chris will be back?"

"I said before dinner. What is for dinner?"

This is a typical question. Dennis isn't going to miss a beat; he is going to get away with this easily. Eyeball will not be able to live up to this performance.

"Probably meatloaf," Marianne answers.

"Again? Is that the only damned thing you know how to make?"

"I'll have to see what we have left. I haven't been to the store in awhile."

Dennis scoffs. "I told Chris to bring back some milk. We're out."

Marianne sighs. That is one less thing they have, and one more item to add to her long list of things the family needs. At least Chris will save her the shopping trip. "Well, I don't know what I'm going to do about the potatoes then," she says. "What time is Chris going to be back?"

"I already told you- around dinner time!"

Mr. Chambers thuds out of the living room, the echo of his heavy footsteps sounding more distant. Eyeball debates whether it would be a good idea to go downstairs. Being around his father now makes him more nervous than before. He fears that just Dennis looking at him will make him crack under the pressure and spill their secret.

And what will he say to his mother? he wonders. What will he say if she asks about Chris? Eyeball sighs and rolls onto his back. He looks at Chris' empty bed again. It seems that both of their lives are over now.

Eyeball does not go downstairs until after six-thirty when his mother calls him for dinner. "Do you know where Chris went?" she asks. Her voice is tired and a little agitated, not yet worried.

"I dunno," Eyeball mumbles. "Some friend's house."

"Well, do you know which one?"

"Nope."

Marianne sighs. Putting up with her husband was enough work, and adding two teenagers with attitudes did not make her life any easier. Hopefully Chris will avoid this stage. "I suppose I better call the Lachances then. It's getting late, and we could really use that milk."

Eyeball takes a seat at the dining room table. His father is there too, reading the newspaper. Eyeball avoids any chance at making eye contact and keeps his focus on his fidgeting hands. Marianne remains in the kitchen to make the phone call. She taps her foot impatiently while she waits for someone to pick up the other line.

"Hello? Hello, Evelyn! Hi, this is Marianne. I was wondering if Chris was still over at your place." Mrs. Chambers frowns. "You haven't seen him? Is Gordie there? Could you ask him if he's seen Chris?" A minute or so passes before she gets an answer.

"He hasn't seen him either? Well, thank you. I'll call the Tessios then. Will you let me know if you hear from him? Thank you."

The following phone calls are just as unsuccessful. Eyeball keeps fidgeting at the table while he listens to his mother become more desperate with each passing call. "Marianne, what the hell are you doing?" Dennis calls out. "Where's the food?"

Eyeball grinds his teeth. He knows that it is only acting, but the man could try to be a little more sensitive considering all that he has done today. "Dumb fucking bastard," Eyeball mumbles to himself.

"What'd you say, boy?"

"Nothing."

"Quit your mumbling and sit up straight! We aren't a bunch of savages here!"

"Savages? Look who is talking," Eyeball says himself. He sighs loudly, and straightens himself up.

"Dennis," Marianne says as she walks into the dining room now. Her voice quivers with worry. "No one has seen Chris, not at all."

"What do you mean no one's seen him?"

"I've called all of his friends and none of them have seen him all day."

Eyeball watches his father, anticipating his reply.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Dennis asks. "I told him to be home by a certain time and-."

"What if something happened to him?" Marianne interrupts. "Maybe he got hurt or." She chokes at the thought of what else may have happened. "We need to call the police or something. Chris is never late like this. Something has to be wrong!"

Dennis sighs. "Marianne, if-."

"Something is wrong! I know it."

Eyeball looks at his mother, and begins to feel sick. The poor woman is panicking when it is already too late. "I can go look for him," he offers.

Dennis shakes his head. "I told Chris to be back by a specific time, and he cannot do that then-."

"I'm calling the police," Marianne says as she heads back into the kitchen.

Eyeball gets up to follow her, but Dennis makes him sit down again.

"You know," she yells from the kitchen. "You can keep putting up your stupid tough guy act and keep pretending that you don't care about the kids, but there is something serious going on here!"

"What do we do now?" Eyeball whispers to his father.

"Nothing," the man replies, blandly. "We let the police handle it. It's in their hands now."

* * *

><p>It takes the police nearly half an hour to arrive. During this time Marianne made more phone calls, asking neighbors and friends if they had seen Chris. When she ran out of people to call, she began pacing the house, mumbling to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. Dennis sat in his armchair in the living room, stoned faced as ever. Eyeball told his parents that he was going out. Both ordered him to stay here. His mother wanted him to stay out of fear that something would happen to him too. Dennis wanted him at home so that he could monitor his son and make sure he is doing his part right.<p>

Two officers come to the front door. The split up and talk to each of his parents separately, his mother in the kitchen and his father in the living room. Eyeball hangs out in the dining room, waiting for his turn. He can hear his mother's sobbing, which grow more desperate with each question. Dennis remains cold and professional. There are a few times when Eyeball hears his voice almost crack when the officer asked him questions about what Chris looked like, and he if knew of anyone that may want to hurt the boy. If Eyeball had not known the truth of what took place this morning, he would have believed his father too. He wishes he could believe it.

Eyeball's interview is brief. The elder out of the two officers is the one who asks him questions. They are simple enough for answer, and he is able to make it through without much stumbling.

_Had he seen his brother today?_

_Yes, he had._

_When was that?_

_Sometime in the mid-afternoon. Chris said he was going to a friend's house._

_Did he say which friend._

_No._

_Did he have any idea which friend it could be?_

_Probably the Lachance kid; they're always together._

_Did he know of anyone that would want to hurt his brother or take him?_

_No. Why would anyone want a take a twelve year old kid?_

The officer does not have an answer for that. All he can say is that he and his partner will try to find his brother. Eyeball nods, and waits for the officer to leave. He takes this opportunity to escape outside. The adults will be too busy talking to notice that he is gone. Eyeball sets himself on the front steps, resting his head in his hands. It is getting late now, nearly eight. The officer he had been talking to is calling into the station now to request further instructions and more help. The sun has already set, thus making more difficult to search for a missing child. Eyeball can hear his mother inside talking to the policeman, frantically begging him to do something. The officer tries to calm her, but it does little help. His father is still inside, too, possibly sitting next to his wife, sullen as ever. He will not be trying to comfort her; comforting is not something Dennis does. No one has told Dixie yet, and Eyeball is not going to be the one who breaks the news to her. She can find out in some other way.

A car drives up to the house, but slows down as the driver takes notice of the police car sitting in the driveway. Eyeball recognizes it right away. It's Ace. They had plans to meet up in town earlier, but he had completely forgotten about it. Ace parks on the side of the street, away from the cop car, and gets out with someone else. As the come closer, Eyeball is able to see that the companion is Charlie Hogan.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ace demands. "And what is up with all of the cop cars?"

"Yeah, what did you do this time?" Charlie adds.

Eyeball bites his bottom lip. What can he tell them? "Chris is missing."

"So?" Ace asks.

"He left hours ago, and no one has seen him."

"He's probably with his faggy little friends."

"We already called him. They haven't seen him. No one has."

Ace stares at his friend. If the cops are here and if Eyeball is actually worried then this must be pretty serious. "What are you going to do about it?"

Eyeball shrugs. "I wanted to go help look for him."

"Then do it."

"Now?"

"When else?"

"But," Eyeball begins to protest. "I think they want me to stay here."

"Who fucking cares? They won't even notice that you're gone."

Eyeball looks back at the house. He can still hear the mumbled voices inside. Ace is right, no one is going to notice if he leaves. And he cannot stay here any longer; he has to get out and go somewhere else. "So, are you going with me?"

Ace shrugs. "Sure. It's not like we got anything better to do."

* * *

><p>The three stayed out until midnight looking for Chris. Eyeball did not say much during the search, no one did. They went around town, and asked anyone they ran into if they had seen Chris. Every answer was the same.<p>

They had not.

Eyeball knew this was going to be the answer. He knew that Chris was already dead, and this was just a waste of everyone's time. Still, he wanted to continue searching. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice kept telling him that maybe they can still find his brother alive and well. It was only hope, a false hope, but it was better than having to face the truth.

Just as the clock is about to reach a quarter past twelve, Ace drops Eyeball off in front of his house. The cop car is gone now, and all of the lights are off. Eyeball hopes that his parents remember to not lock him out of the house. "Thanks for the help, guys," he says as he gets out of the car.

"Sorry that we didn't find him," Charlie says.

"Yeah." Eyeball looks back at his house. "It's fine."

"But he'll turn up! We can look again tomorrow."

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye."

Ace waits to make sure that his friend makes it inside without trouble before driving off. "So what do you think happened to him?" Charlie asks after a moment of silence.

"He went missing."

"I know, but I mean what do you think happened?"

"Hell if I know."

"Maybe he got hit by a train like that one kid."

"He's not that stupid," Ace says. "Why the fuck would he go and do the same thing that just killed another kid? Doesn't make any sense now, does it?"

Charlie considers this. "I guess. Do you think he got lost then?"

"Could be."

"Or maybe someone took him. Like one of those creepy perverted guys," Charlie says. "Remember that one story around five years ago? That one guy who-."

"Shut up, Charlie."

"I'm just saying that it's a possibility."

"And I'm telling you to shut up," Ace says.

"Why? Are you actually worried about Chris?"

"No. I can't stand the little brat, but I don't want to think about some sick fucking freak doing that kind of shit to him. It's fucked up," Ace says. Then he adds a warning, "And don't you even think about bringing up that around Eyeball. He'll beat your ugly face in. I probably will to."

"I wasn't gonna! I was only thinking about what could have happened."

"Well, stop it. Thinking isn't your thing. Wherever the hell he is, Chris is fine. End of story."

* * *

><p><strong>This turned out to be quite a bit shorter than planned. I'm sorry that it took so long to update! It's been a busy month for me. It's nearly time for state cheerleading, so I have busting my butt with that and school, along with a few other things. I will try to make the next chapter longer and posted sooner. Thank you for reading and reviewing!<strong>


	4. Chapter Four

By morning there had been no progress in the search for Chris. His body still remains in the woods, untouched and unfound. A group of locals gathered together to create a makeshift search group. They separated themselves into three smaller sections, each taking a different area. None would be close enough to finding Chris, Eyeball knows. The thought of it makes him anxious. They are so close to uncovering the truth, but will most likely miss it. At the moment all Eyeball wants is the truth to be reveled. He wants Chris's body to be found; he needs it. The sooner Chris is found the sooner the second stage of the lie can take place, and once that is in motion so will be his new life. Until then everything is up in the air.

Eyeball did not join the search groups. His father volunteered as he thought he was expected to. He would lead the parties off track, prolonging the event as long as he can. Eyeball stays at home with his mother and sister, waiting. Being around them has done nothing to help ease his mind, but his family has never been one to comfort each other in hard times. His mother is erratic with panic and the additional help of over caffineation. Her presence alone made Eyeball's nerves tear up in rage and frustration. It only became worse once Dixie came early in the morning, busting through the front door, yelling how no one in this god damn family ever tells her anything. With her hormones already raging from her pregnancy, Dixie stormed through the kitchen, screaming and crying furiously until one of her mother's friends was able to calm her into incoherent sobs. Eyeball left then. He took position on the front steps where the wailing and chatter of the people inside was only a mumble.

Still, it annoys him. It's not fair that his mother has to go through all of this. She should know what happened to Chris. Being stuck in limbo, waiting to hear if her son is alive or not is torture on her, much worse than anything her husband has handed her before. She has a right to know that Chris was not coming back, and Eyeball should be the one who tells her. What is his father going to do to stop him? Kill him?

The thought finally dawns on him: his father is a murderer. Dennis Chambers, the man he loved and feared for as long as he can remember, killed his own son. Eyeball knows that his father is not a gentle man. He was too often attracted to violence especially after a few drinks. He would smack his wife and kids around, usually leaving behind a few bruises, but Eyeball never suspected he was capable of murdering someone, especially not someone he loved. His father did love Chris- Eyeball was sure of it. It must be an accident, he tells himself. It has to be; there is no way his dad would willingly kill.

How does one accidentally stab his own son? Eyeball wonders. It was over a heated argument no doubt; Chris had just started to talk back to everyone, and their father did not put up with that kind of behavior. But what could they have been fighting about that could have been bad enough to end in such violence?

Eyeball shakes his head. Maybe there is no answer, or if there is he does not want to know. It won't change how life is now. Eyeball sighs loudly. He cannot stay at this house any longer. These people are going to be the end of his sanity.

He left without notice. His mother and sister were too busy in their own emotional torment to realize him passing through, and there was little point of mentioning it. Eyeball knew that they would not listen or forget just as soon he would tell them. He went into to town to look for his friends. They would need to be there for when he found Chris. It would make for a better story, and it was not something Eyeball wanted to do on his own. He found them outside the gas station, lounging around the car with bottles of soda in hand.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie asks. "Aren't you supposed to be at home or something?"

"I had to leave," Eyeball replies. "Dixie and my mom are freaking the fuck out. They were talking about calling in a priest, and I'm not staying for any of that kind of bullshit."

"Have they found anything new?" Billy asks.

Eyeball shakes his head, but says nothing.

"Damn. When did Chris leave?"

"I don't know. Afternoon time or something like that."

"Do you know where he was going?"

"What are you? The fucking police?" Eyeball snaps.

"N-no! I was just asking! I didn't mean-."

"Shut it," Ace cuts in.

"Sorry, Eyeball," Billy apologizes. "I wasn't trying to upset you or make anything worse. I-."

"Didn't I just tell you to shut it?"

"It's fine. It doesn't matter," Eyeball says. He looks at his friends, unsure of what to say. Billy and Charlie look just about as uncomfortable as he is feeling, possibly more. Ace stands with his arms crossed against his chest and a serious look to his face. A cigarette hangs from his mouth. Eyeball twitches under his stare. It feels like Ace is looking right into his brain; he knows that something is being left out.

"So, I was thinking about going out to look for myself," Eyeball says quickly. "I don't want to be around all of those other people. Not now. You guys can help. If you want, I mean."

"Where were you thinking about looking?" Charlie asks.

Eyeball shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe the woods or something. I don't know if anyone has gone there yet."

"Sure. I'm in," Billy says.

"We can take my car," Charlie offers.

The three look at Ace, waiting for him to decide. "I'll go," he says after a moment of thought. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"I always had a feeling that you had a soft spot," Billy says with a smirk.

"How many times am I going to have to tell you to shut up before you understand?"

They begin their search on the outskirts of the woods with the plan working their way in. The search groups would soon be making their way there, and Eyeball did not want to be anywhere close to them once they did, especially if his father was part of that company. Without a doubt Eyeball would be in trouble if Mr. Chambers found him there; the consequences would not be good.

Charlie pulls the car off to the side of the narrow dirt road. "What now?"

"I don't know," Billy says. "What is a search party supposed to do?"

"They search, you fucking idiot," Ace says.

"I know that, but where are we supposed to start?"

The three look to Eyeball, waiting for the next command. Eyeball begins to panic. "I don't know," he says. "Anywhere I guess. I don't know where Chris would be in the woods."

"Then why are we looking here?" Charlie asks.

"Just get out."

The group empties from the car quickly and quietly. They split up to search different sides of the road. As they go off, Eyeball catches some of his friends staring at him. They are not only taking opposite sides to broaden the search but to avoid being too close to him, he realizes. Death is making him a disease. Not that Eyeball minded very much; it would be easier for everyone. Being around people is not something desired at the moment, but there is a mission to complete. He cannot leave Chris out here any longer.

Eyeball can hear footsteps crunching on the ground behind him. He looks back and sees Ace following him. They make eye contact for a moment before Eyeball quickly looks away. If anyone can figure out what is going on it would be Ace, and if Ace found out then things can only get worse. Would Ace even tell, Eyeball wondered. If he knew the truth, would he even care?

The growing silence started to become too much for Eyeball to handle, especially with all of the thoughts weighing down his mind. Something must be said to prevent them from crushing it. "T-thanks for earlier," he says, stumbling over his words. "With shutting those guys up. I'm just, um, tired of people I guess. It's been a long day."

"No problem."

"And with helping with this," Eyeball adds. "This. The helping, I mean. It means a lot."

This time Ace does not say anything. He just nods.

They are getting closer to the body. Chris will be on Charlie and Billy's side. There is a chance that they may pass him without noticing. If so they will have to switch sides on the walk back, Eyeball tells himself. This has to be finished today.

"How far are we supposed to go?" Billy asks Charlie as they walk along.

"No idea."

"Should we get off the road or something? You know, like look further in case he walked off or something."

"If he walked off," Charlie says, lowering his voice to make sure neither Ace nor Eyeball heard. "What if we don't find Chris?"

"We'll look somewhere else then."

"No. I mean, what if we find his body? Or some other body?"

"How many bodies do you think can even be in here?"

"Hell, I don't know! But this is the second dead kid we've dealt with this year. It's like something weird is going on."

"Stop being stupid," Billy says, rolling his eyes. "We don't even know if Chris is dead yet. Besides, that other kid was run over by a train. Chris was probably picked up by some creep or psycho, which is probably a good thing."

"How in the hell is that a good thing?"

"It means there is a better chance that he's alive. Doesn't it?"

Charlie considers this. "Maybe. But they didn't ask for money or nothing like that. Won't they want to get rid of him before they get caught?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Billy says, slowly. He takes a few steps further from the road and cranes his neck to try to get a better scope of the area. "I don't see the point going out of your way to kidnap someone and getting rid of them in less than a day."

"To not get caught, stupid."

Billy is no longer paying attention. His focus is on something a little further down in the ditch on the side of the road. There is no mistaking it, the pale mass lying amongst the dirt. It is a body; most likely Chris' body. Charlie followed his friend's line of eyesight and saw it too. Neither boys say anything, but they knew they were thinking the same thing. It's Chris. It has to be. The two look at each other. What should they do?

Having seen the body first, Billy felt it was his duty to make the first move. He begins to walk forward, cautiously, as if he fears the still body would spring up and attack. Charlie stays in his spot, and looks for Eyeball and Ace. They have yet to pick up on the new development. "Guys," Charlie says quietly. But they do not hear him.

Billy is close to the body now. He could reach down and touch if he wanted, but he was frozen. This is not like when he first saw a corpse, that one of the other kid. It was completely different. He could barely remember that kid's name. But this is different. He has known Chris for years. He's good friends with his annoying younger brother. But there in front of him lies the naked, dead body of Chris Chambers. Bruises and stab markings litter his body. He is covered in blood- so much blood. Billy feels his knees begin to wobble. What is supposed to happen now?

"Guys!" Charlie calls out again, this time much louder.

Eyeball and Ace look across the way. Both know the news is not good. Eyeball hesitates to answer. Can he handle see Chris looking like this again? Does he have a choice? As Eyeball takes a step forward, Ace puts his arm out, stopping him. "Stay," he orders.

"No!" Eyeball can hear the waver in his voice. It startles him. Maybe he can't do this. "That's my brother we're looking for!"

"Exactly," Ace says in his usual cool tone. "Stay."

Eyeball watches as his friend goes to join the others. Ace does not seem nervous or shaken at all, not nearly as much as one would expect from someone going to see a body. He walks at a steady pace, his hands shoved into his pockets. Everything seems to be moving so slow. Eyeball cannot handle it any longer. He rushes forward, pushing past Ace before he has the chance to stop him. He passes Charlie, who doesn't even try, and goes to the edge of the ditch where Billy stands.

There is Chris again, only he does not look like his brother anymore. Even from when he and their father had left him last night, Chris looks much different. His skin has turned blueish grey, making him appear slightly less human. Blood has dried over, leaving a dark and crusted stain on his small body. The bruises are still visible, the suffering that went on long before the end evident. This is not the brother Eyeball remembers.

"No," Eyeball says mostly to himself. "This isn't Chris."

"Eyeball," Charlie starts off.

"No," he cries, frantically. "That's not Chris. That's not him!" His body is shaking now. The world is shaking. Surely it must end now; it cannot possibly go on from here. "That's not Chris! Chris can't be dead!"

But he is.

Someone grabs on to Eyeball and pushes him back. "Come one," Ace says. Eyeball looks from his friend, back to his brother's body.

Chris is dead.

"No!" Eyeball cries again. He tries to fight from Ace's grip, pushing forward with all he has towards his brother. He must reach him. "Chris isn't dead!"

But he is, Eyeball tells himself. You saw him die. He died in the kitchen, on the floor, at the hands of their father. And for what?

Ace pulls back harder. Eyeball stumbles backwards, barely able to keep his balance. He can longer stand this, not any of it. His world is collapsing around him, and he is ready to fall with it. Ace struggles to keep his friend up as the teen drops to the ground, becoming a dead weight in his arms. As they struggle to kneel on the ground, Ace looks back at the rest of the group. Charlie watches the scene, troubled by the breakdown that is occurring in front of him. Billy hasn't moved from his spot. He still stands, staring at the body in horror. The body- Ace still hasn't gotten a good look at it yet. Maybe Eyeball is right and they have found someone else, whoever the poor bastard may be. Ace leans forwards slightly to get a better view. Eyeball falls forwards with him, no longer able to keep himself steady in this sobbing hysterics. Once there he can see the body there is no doubt in Ace's mind. It is Chris in that ditch. Chris: bloody, beaten, and naked. His stomach weakens at the sight.

"What the fuck."

Eyeball struggles against Ace, crying and kicking at the dirt road. The grief he had held is finally being released for the first time. It comes out in broken sobs, in indistinguishable words. "Hey," Ace snaps at Charlie and Billy. "Come help me here."

Ace's voice brings Billy back to reality. He looks over and sees his two friends struggling on the ground. "Fuck," he swears to himself. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"Would you two stop being stupid assholes for once in your life and do something?" Ace growls. "We need to get him out of here."

The two scramble over before they were yelled at again. Charlie goes to the other side of Eyeball to help Ace lift him up. "What are we going to do about? Y-You know, Chri-."

"Tell the police," Ace says. He slowly rises to his feet and, with the help of Charlie, brings Eyeball with him.

"But won't they want to know why we were out here?"

"We were out here, searching like everyone else. The only difference is that we actually found him. We've got nothing to hide."

Eyeball struggles to find his footing. He feels dizzy and tired, much too tired to do anything. As his friends lead him forward, Eyeball feels him losing his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything since what little he had eaten at last night's dinner, but whatever was left was coming up. Eyeball lurched forward, pushing himself away. Charlie let go, but Ace still clung on to an arm. Eyeball does not even try to break away more. He just lets it all come up.

Charlie makes a face as his friend vomits. Ace glares at him. He waits until Eyeball is finished before saying anymore. "Let's go."

Eyeball nods. This time he allows his friends to lead. They set him in the back of the car, and Ace takes the driver's seat. He grinds his teeth as he starts up the car. Once again he is the only one in control, Ace tells himself. He will be the one to fix this.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi. So, it takes me about a year to update. I am so sorry about that! I haven't given up the story! Life has just been so busy, and when you think you have a break you really don't. Hopefully I will be able to make the next update sooner and longer. Thank you to everyone who is sticking by this!<strong>


	5. Chapter Five

The discovery of young Chris Chamber's body sent Castle Rock into an uproar. This is a small, quiet town. Murder is nearly unheard of, especially the murder of a child. Rumors began to fly, but despite all that was being said no one could truly believe that someone in their town could actually commit such a heinous crime.

People begin to gather around the Chamber's household, carrying casseroles and desserts in tow. They come out of sympathy and respect as well as curiosity. Every bit of information that could be known must be known. They go through the house with their tokens of, gawking at the grieving family. While much of the town makes their way to the Chamber's, a few stayed behind, one of them being Ace Merrill. Ace had every reason to be there, more so than others. He is good friends with the victim's brother and he was also one of the people to recover the body. But Ace stays at his own home out of sympathy and respect as well, because he does not feel it is in his place to inject himself into a moment where he does not belong.

The thought of Chris' death weighs heavy on Ace's mind. He never really did like the kid much, but he never wanted Chris to die, especially not in the way he did. It did not seem possible for Chris to be dead. Not at this moment. It all seems like a bizarre dream from which they will all wake up from soon. But at the same time, Ace accepts this new reality even if it has not quite sunken in yet. Chris is gone, and all of their lives will be changed now. He will have to be there for Eyeball now, however that will be. He has never been one for buddy-buddy relationship type of things; comforting will not come easy.

Then the matter of Chris' death itself. As said previously, Ace has never been a huge fan, but no one, at least not human, should be able to do that to a child. Whoever had killed Chris will certainly pay for what he did, and Ace will be sure he is somehow part of that revenge. It is the least he could do for Eyeball as well we Chris. He will do what he can to help bring some justice to the Chambers family. Two days have already passed since Chris' body had been found and there was no word from the police yet if they were making any progress. Chances are they may never find him; if the person was not a member of their town he was probably long gone by two days, Ace figures. Leave it up to police to fuck up their jobs. If you want to get any sort of justice, you just have to go out and take it. Sitting around and talking to people will take too long.

Two days. It was already too late by the time they had even found Chris. It seems strange to think that a person can be here one moment and then in the next be gone so quickly. They had failed him by then. In another two days it would be the funeral and all that was left of Chris would be gone too. Ace had already decided that he was going to attend the funeral, even before his mother told him it was a requirement. He would go for Eyeball, possibly talk to him if he can think of anything worth saying. Seeing his friend as well as the rest of the Chambers family is not something Ace is looking forward to. It will be uncomfortable in the very least. He never really got along with anyone in the family aside from Eyeball. Dixie, the sister, hated him for all of the times he would tease her through the years. The mother firmly believed Ace to be a terrible influence in her son's life and the father hates anyone that dares to look at him. But still, Ace would attend the funeral for the sake of his friend.

* * *

><p>Back at home, Eyeball can feel himself slipping further towards insanity. It was difficult enough to deal with the passing of his brother on his own let alone with crowds of people. They made him nervous, especially with his father around. Ever since Dennis learned that Eyeball had been the one to lead the group of teenage boys to the body he has rarely let his son out of his sight. During a heated whispered conversation later that night Dennis had threatened Eyeball that if he did any more to interfere with the plans or bring attention to the family he would end up in that ditch just like his brother. At this point in time Eyeball does not care what happens to him. It would probably be easier for his father to just get it over with now and kill him instead of having to go through the rest of his life carrying this secret.<p>

The rest of his life; there is so much of it left. He has only been alive for fifteen years and the thought of the rest to come, however long that may be, seems dreadful. Chris had only been a part of his life for twelve years and now there will be no more. The thought seems strange to Eyeball; almost impossible. He cannot imagine life without his brother, even though he is going on so now. He cannot imagine his family without Chris being there. There is no future for them.

Eyeball lies on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. This is the only place he is able to find some peace in the chaotic house. He keeps his focus on the ceiling or the walls, doing the best he can to avoid what used to be Chris' half of the room. It is still to strange to think that he will no longer be sharing a room with his brother. There had been many long battles over the years over it. Eyeball had always wanted a room to himself to escape his family more easily and now he has it. It doesn't seem right.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence of the room. Eyeball waits for them to pass, praying that it is not anyone looking for him. His hopes are dashed when he hears a quiet voice behind the door.

"Can I come in?"

It takes him a moment to recognize his sister's voice. He is not used to hearing her so quiet. There is no twang of sassy, only an undertone of sadness.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Eyeball calls out to her. It was not appropriate for the occasion, but it was normal, and sense of normalcy seems to be what is most needed during this time.

Dixie enters the room without bothering to knock or waiting for permission. "It's crazy down there," she says. She leans against the doorway, loosely kicking a foot back and forth. Her pregnant belly is already starting to show. Their parents had gone in an uproar over her sudden condition, but Dixie did not mind. It was her ticket out of here, as dramatic as it was.

"_I am finally going to have someone that will love me forever," she had told her brothers one night after dinner. She slowly moved her hands over her stomach, gently caressing the growing life beneath._

"_Yeah?" Eyeball said. "What about Roy? Do you think that jackass is going to stay around and love you and the kid too?"_

_Dixie shrugged. Despite her upcoming marriage, she was rather indifferent towards the father of her baby. She believed she was strong enough to take care of herself and whoever else came along._

"_But already love you," Chris said, quickly. "You can just stay here. Mom and Dad will let you."_

_Dixie grinned. "I love you too, kiddo, but there is no way in hell that they're going to let me stay here. Not after all that I have done. Not that I want to stay here. I finally have the chance to get out of this shithole."_

"_Yeah, moving on from one shithole to the next," Eyeball said. "Only this time you will be cleaning up diapers."_

"_Shut up! You're just jealous that I am getting out of here before you." Despite the harshness of their words, the siblings smile. _

"_And we can come visit," Chris said. "Right?"_

"_Whenever you want, kid," Dixie replied. "Don't worry. Before you know it, you will be long gone out of here too."_

Eyeball quietly sighs to himself. It had only happened a few months before, but now it seems like another lifetime.

"What are you thinking about?" Dixie asks.

"Nothing."

"Fine, don't tell me." She moves from her spot in the doorway to across the room. She stops at Eyeball's bed and sits down on the side. Eyeball shifts his legs to give her more room. "You know," Dixie says, "I still cannot believe any of this is real."

Eyeball nods, but says nothing in reply.

"You will not believe the amount of people that has stopped by," she continues to say. "I'm pretty sure the whole town has been through. Bunch of fucking vultures. But we will be stocked on food for awhile now. Dad will still piss about it, though."

Eyeball nods again. "How is Mom doing?"

"Same as before," Dixie says with a light shrug. "I don't think she has ever stopped crying yet. I don't know how she does it; it's exhausting. Dad hasn't said barely more than a word, but I expected that much. I think he is hiding out too, probably in the garage or something. I saw him talking to Father Mike earlier, though. That's about it."

"Great."

"Yeah. You know how he is. He's a weird guy."

Oh, Eyeball did know how is father is, or so he thought up until a few days ago. Did Dixie know, he wondered. Did she have any suspicions about what happened to their little brother?

"Chris' one friend was here with his family earlier," Dixie continues. "That Lachance kid and his family. That poor kid has had a rough year with losing his brother and Chris." The two sit in silence for a moment as they took in the thought. "His other friend was there too, that chubby one. I don't think either of them is doing too well. I can't imagine losing someone like that at their age. I don't know if they understand it, not that I do either, though."

"What about you?" Eyeball asks. "How are you doing?"

Dixie shrugs. "I don't know to be honest. I guess I'm sad and all, but it really hasn't sunken in yet. I thought." Her voice trails off for a moment. She moves her hands to her stomach, running them around her swollen bump. "I really thought they were going to find him alive or something. I didn't think it would end this way. Well, I knew it was a possibility, but still." She pauses again. "I just don't' understand how this could happen, how anyone could do this."

"Me neither."

"Roy keeps trying to make me stay calm for the baby and all, but I just can't do it. I know I have to, but I just feel like I can't do anything right now. You know?"

"Yeah."

"Roy is worried too. He always worries about everything," Dixie says with a faint smile. "He's downstairs right now, trying bring some sort of order to the house. God knows the rest of us can't do anything. No offence."

"I know. I don't want to see anyone."

Dixie nods. "What about you?"

"What?"

"How are you handling all of this?"

Eyeball glances over at his sister, and for a brief moment he wants to tell her everything she knows. But then he sees a look of tiredness and distress is clearly etched into her face. He thinks of her and her baby. She does not need any more traumas to handle. "Fine," Eyeball lies. "Fine, I guess. I don't know how to describe it."

"Yeah, me neither. I'm just waiting for it all to be over."

"For what to be over?

"This. All of this." Dixie bites the inside of her bottom lip as tears begin to flood her eyes. "But it's only beginning, isn't it? Everything is fucking over and it's just starting. It's all so fucked up, and there is nothing I can do about it."

Eyeball sighs as he moves himself into a sitting position. He tightly wraps his arms around his sister's shoulders as she continues to sob.

"It's so fucked up," she repeats.

"I know."

"I just want things to be the way they were before. I want everything to be normal again."

"I know. Me too."

They sit together for a moment as Dixie's sobs turn into pathetic sniffles. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know," Eyeball answers honestly. "I don't know."

* * *

><p><strong>Hi. I do realize that this is a super short update, but I feel like this is the right place to leave it off at. At least it only took me just over a month to update instead of almost a year! We are making progress people! We will be seeing more from Eyeball, Chris' friends, and Ace. I plan on throwing in quite a few perspectives. The police will be coming in too! Will Eyeball be able to keep his secret? Who knows! Besides me, because I am writing this. <strong>

**Thank you to all of those who read this and leave reviews! It really does mean a lot to me and it is good motivation. Thanks again!**


	6. Chapter Six

Lyle Hagen got ten years on the job under his belt without much of a problem. In a little town like Castle Rock there was not much crime he had to deal with. Drunken bar fights were usually the most action during the week. A whole decade had passed before he received his first homicide case. Sure, Lyle had dealt with dead bodies before, but those most had been of natural causes; an elderly person dying in his or her home. There had been only one suicide scene that he has been too, and that wasn't too bloody considering the man had hung himself. But a dead body is a dead body; you've seen one you've seen them all, or so that is what Lyle Hagen believed up until he was assigned the murder of Castle Rock's young citizens, Chris Chambers.

Hagen was first on the case back when it was still considered to be a missing person. Officially it had never been labeled as it as it takes a day or so to call someone missing, even a child. It was the townspeople that came together quickly after hearing the news, organizing themselves in to teams to search for the boy. It wasn't even the police who had found the body. It was a group of older boys; the missing child's brother and his friends. It was curious thought how the brother was the one to find the body. Perhaps it was just a terrible coincidence, but perhaps not. The family has been able to provide little to no useful information. No one knew where Chris was going other than to a friend's house. No specifics on what friend or even the time he left rather than some time in the afternoon. The mother was too inconsolable to get a proper interview out of and the father was withdrawn and vague. The brother was very much like his father, but was much more emotional upon the discovery of the corpse. It is enough to lead suspicion away from at least him, at least for the moment. Still, there is something quite not right about that family in Hagen's eyes, though it can be rather difficult to judge people in times of tragedy and grief, especially when one does not have too much training in that area.

But who else would that leave? A neighbor? An undercover monster lurking in the town? It seems impossible to imagine. Hagen knows everyone in town. There is not one person he can imagine ever blaming for such a crime.

What about a stranger? A random person passing through town; a swift, murderous ghost stealing someone's child at will? It seems more like a nightmare than a possibility, but a possibility none the less, and one that is most supported by the town. As for the police, they continue to look for all possibilities.

Lyle reads through the notes he took while interviewing the Chamber parents. There are very few, and he has read them over many times in the past week and a half. The days seems to move quickly and the progress slowly. A growing amount of pressure is coming from the town. They are impatient, fearful. Not that Hagen can blame them as he is feeling impatient as well. Time is an important tool in solving a homicide, and time is currently not on their side.

He sighs. There is no one, aside from the family, that can account for Chris that day. Not one person saw him in town, or could not remember at least seeing him briefly. All that is known is that Chris left some time after lunch and that was the last time he was seen alive. Just a little over a day later he shows up in a ditch somewhere in the woods, naked, bruised, and bloodied. The condition of the body lead to believe it was the work of some perverted mad man, but the results from the autopsy indicating sexual assault came back inconclusive. It was still a possibility, but no true, clear evidence. Some of the bruising on arms and chest area turned out to be much older than a day, some being weeks old, but the origin of the wounds could not be proven either. Chris was known to get in a fight or two during school. Kids get hurt; it's just a fact of life. But what this child went through, it was just unnatural. Someone would have to pay, and Hagen will make sure that whoever committed this crime will pay, no matter how much of his own life it takes to do so.

Hagen sighs as he flips o the next page in his notepad. Just he is about to read again, someone walks through the door.

"How's it going?"

It is James Bell, a fellow officer working on the case. Hagen briefly looks up from his paper to reply. "Fine."

"See anything?"

"No."

Bell chuckles. "You can look at that paper all you want, but I don't think it's going to tell you anything new."

"And what have you been doing to help?" Hagen questions, defensively. "I haven't seen you doing anything."

"Oh, but I have. I've been out talking to people. You know, people outside of the family."

"I've already done that."

"Well, I'm doing it again," Bell says as he settles behind his desk. "It doesn't hurt to ask twice. In fact, it turned out to be more helpful. When you're more of a people person like me, the more willing people are to open up to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Bell grins as he taps a pencil against the edge of his desk. "It means that I may have found us a lead. A good one too."

Hagen waits for him to continue. He feels annoyed at the situation. It's bad enough working around Bell's cocky attitude, but when he actually does his job well it is almost unbearable.

"You know the Peters boy?" Bell continues. "The one that still lives with his momma?"

"He ain't no boy," Hagen interrupts. "He has to be thirty now; he's a grown man."

"I know that, but it's hard to believe with how he acts. Turns out that he didn't show up for work that day. There is no one to account for him."

"What about his mother?"

"Not even her. Said she couldn't remember where he was or what he was doing that day, but that poor woman can barely get out of bed so there is no telling what she actually knows."

"Interesting," Hagen says quietly, mostly to himself. Thomas Peters had not even crossed his mind as a possible suspect, but hardly anyone in the town knew the man. Peters was very quiet and kept to himself. He still lives with his mother in a small house on the outskirts of town and was rarely seen out in public aside from at the grocery store where he works. Before his mother's health began to fail, he would sometimes be out with her but now he is always on his own. Thomas Peters is certainly a strange man, but being strange does not make one a killer.

"I was just about to head down there and talk to him myself," Bell says. "Did you want to come with? I could use your fox eyes."

"Are you trying to be a smartass?"

Bell smirks. "Partly, but in all seriousness you are invited. If you want to come. I don't know if you're still busy doing whatever you are doing."

"Working."

"Yeah, right. So-."

"I'll come with," Hagen interrupts as he gets up from his chair. "Just try to keep your mouth in line."

"I'm not promising anything."

* * *

><p>The truth of Chris' death weighs down heavily on Eyeball's mind. It grows stronger every day, driving him towards the brink of insanity. It feels like constantly standing on the edge of a roof. There is an overwhelming need for action even if it may lead to danger. If he jumps, he dies but at least it will be over. There will be no more worrying, no more waiting. He needs to jump.<p>

And jump he did. It was an accident, or at least that is what he will claim if anyone should ask. It just happened. The words just came spilling out right on to the lap of Ace Merrill. The day had started like any other when they would hang out. They had gone to Ace's house to escape all of the commotion of the Chamber's home and the watchful, pitying eyes of the town. There was no escaping Chris' presence, not even at Ace's. It was a constant thought digging in the back of his brain, begging for release. Ace continued rambling, which was a common occurrence now since he could no longer stand the silence his friend brought, about something stupid Charlie or Billy had said or done earlier. Eyeball was barely paying attention. His mind was back on the moment when he found Chris dying. He remembered how their father stood by, cold and uncaring, and how nothing has changed since. It all nearly does not seem real; not after how many times he has told the lie to so many people. That moment seemed imaginary, and that was why Eyeball let it slip so suddenly; to make it real.

Now they sit still, silence once again covering them. Eyeball begins to panic. What has he done? Did he really just say that? He watches his friend, but Ace's expression gives away no emotion. There is not even a hint of surprise. Did he already know?

"I-I," Eyeball stutters. He does not know what he is saying now, but the silence is too much. He needs something to happen. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."

"Did he?" Ace asks the question simply, still lacking in any detectable emotion.

"I- well. I don't."

What does he say now? He has already spilled the truth. There is no point of backtracking now; Ace probably would not even believe it.

"Yeah," Eyeball says, quietly. He can feel some of the weight lift up off his shoulders. Yes, it was real.

"How?"

How?

"I don't know. Stabbed, I guess. I wasn't there when it happened. I just came home and found him in the kitch-." His words break off into an awkward sob. He thinks of Chris then, of Chris on the floor. "He was just lying there. On the floor, in his blood. Oh God it was terrible! I don't even know how he got there or what happened or what I was doing. I just- I don't know. I just don't know."

Eyeball tries to hold himself together. He has already broken down in front of his friend too many times; he cannot show this much weakness. But that is what he has become, weak, and perhaps that is what he always was. He was too weak to save his brother, too weak to stand up to this father. He was too weak to even keep the story straight.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Eyeball says. "I can't do this anymore. My dad is going to kill me if he finds out."

"He's not going to find out."

"You're not going to tell?"

Ace watches his friend. As of now he is unsure of what he is going to do. There is too much to think about; he isn't sure how to feel yet.

"No," he replies. "Probably not."

Eyeball relaxes a little. He is still safe, at least for now. "Thanks," he says. "And for everything, I mean. You're pretty much the only person that doesn't drive me crazy anymore. Everyone acts like- like I'm a freak or something."

"Out of everyone in your family you are the least freakish."

"Thanks. We're all pretty fucked up, I guess. If any of us had a chance of doing something with our lives it's Chris." Eyeball stops as he catches what he is saying. Chris is no longer part of them. "Or. Never mind. I guess we're all fucked now."

"He was alright for an annoying brat."

Eyeball smiles softly. "Yeah. He was great."

"A little annoying. But that one time, the one when we got him to steal Old Lady Perry's lawn gnomes was pretty awesome. I've never seen anyone get so pissy over such ugly things."

"She never got them back, did she?"

"Not in one piece at least. We smashed them all at the school parking lot."

"Oh, yeah!" Eyeball's smile fades away. "I really miss him."

"I know you do."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, another short chapter. Sorry! At least the plot is finally moving along! I'm not sure how much is left, maybe two or three more chapters. Thank you to all of those who read and review! It really does mean a lot! <strong>


	7. Chapter Seven

The arrest of Thomas Peters came as a surprise to the people of Castle Rock. The police did not think that some maddened killer had committed the crime. It was one of their very own, and the police had a confession. They had Peters custody for twelve hours before they were able to get the story out of him. It took some brutal questions and God know what other kind of force, but it worked. They had their man and their story.

It had been mid afternoon, around half past three, according to Peter's when he first saw Chris Chambers. He had been sitting in his mother's car, listening to the radio. Chris appeared in the review mirror. He caught Peter's attention. He had seen the kid before, talked to his parents on occasion, but he never had one on one time. He knew that Chris was on his own a lot, that he was a good looking kid, but never gave him more thought than that. As the boy drew closer, Peter's had an idea. It was a rather chilly day, and Chris was underdressed for the weather. He would ask Chris if he wanted to a ride. If he said no, then that would be the end of it. If he said yes, well, then it was up to fate.

Peter's kept the car window down, growing anxious as he waited for Chris to walk by. He almost failed in the moment. But he got Chris to stop, and he was able to ask his question.

No is what Chris said the first time. Peter's tried again. He said he knew his parents, asked Chris where he was going. The boy said to the Lachance house. Coincidentally it was in the same area he was heading, Peters said. Chris hesitated, but got into the car. Fate took the wheel then.

They drove past the grocery store and Chris' friend's house. They kept going until they got to the outskirts of town where Peters lives with his mother. Chris remained relatively calm during this time, although he did question where they were going. Peters said to his house, he needed to get something quick first to return to Mr. Lachance. Chris seemed to accept this answer, but continued to ask questions.

"He was a chatter box," Peter's told the officers. "Great kid. I couldn't get him to stop talking. I was enjoying having him around. It was a lot less lonely, you know?"

The made it to the Peters' house. Hattie, his mother, was too old and frail to get out of bed. It was easy to sneak Chris into the house without noticing. Thomas invited Chris inside and asked if he wanted something to drink, a soda perhaps. Chris said no. He lead the boy back out into the yard, to the cellar where he was keeping Mr. Lachance's tool. The room was rather small and crowded with various tools and hunting gear left behind by Thomas' father. Thomas told Chris that he could not remember for the life of him where he had left it. He asked Chris if he would like to help, if it wasn't a problem.

"_Okay!"_

He had managed to get Chris to the very back of the cellar. His was not a large man, but Thomas easily blocked the exit. The kid was trapped. He stood still and watched as Chris continued to look for the lost tool. He knew what he wanted to do, knew that it was wrong, but this was the best opportunity. He would not get another one like this.

"_I don't see it. Are you sure it's in here?"_

"_No. Could be somewhere else, I guess. Maybe you can help me with something else."_

"_What?"_

"_Take off your clothes."_

The mood changed then. Chris became on edge. He repeated his question, and Thomas replied the same. He took a step forward, and Chris took a step back, bumping himself into a ratty shelf. He said he wouldn't do it, that he didn't want to. Thomas told him that he didn't have a choice.

"_It will be quick. It will be fun, I promise."_

"_No."_

There was a struggle, but Thomas won in the end. He was bigger and stronger. He pushed Chris down onto the dirt floor, and did what he wanted. Chris cried the whole time. Thomas tried to get him to stop. He wanted the boy to enjoy it too, but he kept on crying and begging.

"_He just wouldn't stop," Peters told the police. "But I couldn't stop. I-I didn't know what to do."_

Even when it was over Chris kept crying. Thomas tried his best to soothe the child, but nothing seemed to work.

"_I'm sorry! Don't tell your parents! Please don't tell anyone! I'm so sorry!_

But Chris did not promise. He continued to cry to the point he was nearly breathless. Thomas began to panic. He got angry. He had to do something to quiet the boy up. Thomas started to kick him, hoping that it would be enough to scare the boy into silence. Chris only cried more, and Thomas only got angrier. He does not remember how it happened, but he reached for one of his fathers's hunting knives. This would be the tool he would use to finally get the boy to be quiet. It worked. There would be no more crying or begging or screaming. Chris bled to death on the cellar floor, in the arms of Thomas Peters.

The body was dumped later on that night in the woods in the same state Thomas had left it. Chris' clothing had been burned in a fire pit in the yard, and the blood was been covered with fresh dirt. All evidence had been destroyed.

That was the story Ace heard around town and that was what he reported back to Eyeball. He spared his friend of some of the details, knowing that even the idea of his little brother facing such a fate, real or not, would not be good for Eyeball.

"Really?" Eyeball asks.

"That's what they're saying."

"They who?"

"People. The police. Apparently that Peters guy too."

"But he didn't do anything? Why would he say that?"

Ace shrugs. "Maybe they made him. Maybe he wanted it to be that way. I don't know. People are fucked up."

Eyeball sits quietly. This was not the turn he was expecting. "Does- does that mean that it's over now?"

"Is it?"

* * *

><p>The murder case of twelve year old Chris Chambers was coming to a close. Still, Lyle Hagen was not feeling satisfied with the results. They had found their man, who, according to the suspect himself, is guilty of all charges. There was something off about his story, though; something that Lyle cannot quite put his finger on. Chris was a Chambers kid. He was not as trusting or as naive as other children who may get into a car with a near stranger. Sure, everyone in Castle Rock knew each other, but he did not seem like the type of kid who would go along with just anyone. Also, the injuries found on Chris' body did not match up to the degree of Peter's details.<p>

The interrogation had been a long process. At first Peters acted as if he did not know anything that was going on. He hardly seemed to know that there had been a missing child even though the news had spread everywhere. It was long hours of hard questions lead by his partner, James Bell. Bell did much of the talking. He started out in his mild manner way, feeling confident in their suspect he had brought in. As the hours went on Peters continued to deny any involvement. It became a screaming match with Bell in the lead. He yelled, demanding that Peters to quit lying and tell them everything he knew. Autopsy photos and pictures of the crime scene were thrown onto the table. Even Lyle, who was not sure of Peters' guilt, had to admit that the man's change in interest had shift to level that many would consider to be disturbing. After another hour or so of Bell's pushing, the story began to leak out.

That was the end of it.

The other officers were pleased, as were the town people. They could now rest a little easier now, knowing that someone was being put in jail. There was no longer a child murderer on the loose.

But still, Lyle is not satisfied. His many of his fellow officers are getting ready to go home after the long hours of work they had put into solving this case. They deserved it. Murders, especially those of children, can takes a lot out of someone. Lyle continues to look through the case files, endlessly searching for something to ease his troubled mind.

"What are you looking at?" Bell asks as he gathers his things. "We already got our answers."

"I don't know. I just need something."

"What? That freak told us what happened. We got everything that we need. Go home and get some sleep. You'll be able to think better. Make you more useful for once."

"Something doesn't seem right," Hagen says, slowly. "There is just something about what that guy said that doesn't make sense."

"Of course he doesn't seem right! The bastard just told us how he raped and stabbed a little boy to death. And enjoyed it! He's a sick son of a bitch. He isn't going to seem right to anyone with sense."

"Still, there is somethi-."

Bell cuts him off with a loud sigh. "You're losing it, Hagen. We got a man that says he did it. All of the evidence points to him. What more do you need?"

Hagen shrugs, but says nothing. He flips to the next page of the file and silent reads to himself.

"Look," Bell says, now in his natural, relaxed tone. "Go home and take the day off. Hell, maybe the next few days off! This has been brutal. You need a break. You deserve it."

"Sure I do."

"You did good work, Hagen. You just need to know when to call it quits."

* * *

><p>Ace had called up a few of his friends to meet him at a local bar, Wilson's, to help cure his boredom. He invited Eyeball first, but wanted to stay home.<p>

"Dixie is over again," he said. "She's not doing too well. Mom's no help either. I should stay."

Ace understood and, although he would never admit it, was disappointed. Eyeball was much less annoying than the rest of the guys. He will have to suffer without his company.

He sits at the front of the bar, sipping a beer. The younger bartender, the one who is working now, does not mind it when Ace and his gang comes in and having something to drink, despite the fact that they were a little under the legal age. John Wilson, the owner and namesake of the bar, does not mind much either as long as they behave themselves. The most that he had done was go into a loud, incoherent rambling before letting them go back to their business.

The door opens. Ace looks over, expecting to see one of his friends come in. It's not. It is Dennis Chambers who enters, looking worn and tired. Ace watches as the man trudges over to the counter. He sits down beside him, unaware of the other's presence.

Ace has not spoken to him in a long time, even before everything that happened with Chris. He watches Dennis closely as he orders a drink. He is sitting next to a murderer. This man murdered his child in cold blood. He had taken the boy and dumped him in the woods, leaving him to become a part of some sick man's fantasy. There is no telling what the kid's life was like before all of this, though Ace has an idea based off of his own childhood experiences. Maybe Chris is better off where he is now.

Dennis can feel eyes on him. He glances over and scowls. There is Eyeball's friend, the weird angry one. "What are you looking at?" he asks, roughly.

"Nothing."

"Aren't you too young to be in here?"

"Possibly."

Dennis grunts. His drink is set in front of him, and he accepts it without saying a word. Ace does not take his eyes off of him. He wants to say something to the man. To hint that he knows the truth about what happened, just to make him squirm and possibly feel guilt for what did. But if not done properly, he would put Eyeball at risk.

"I'm sorry about your kid," Ace says. He keeps his tone cool and even. "Chris."

Dennis glances over again. He mumbles something as he pours some more beer down his throat.

"You must be glad they got the bastard who did it."

Dennis nods and sets down his glass. "Yeah," he says. "It took them long enough. You'd think they'd be able to do their job better with all that extra time they have. Bunch of lazy asses."

"I would have never guessed that Peters guy."

"Eh. Someone that quiet is bound to be fucked up. Always hiding something."

"Sure. So, you believe it to?"

"Of course! The guy admitted it. Don't know who else it would be."

"Me neither," Ace says, slowly. His eyes lock on to Dennis'. No words pass between them, but in that moment Ace sent his message. He knows.

He knows the truth.

* * *

><p><strong>And scene! So, this is relatively short, but I wanted to add at least three sections for you guys. There will be one more chapter, and then it will be done! I apologize for taking so long with this. I have no quite covered all that I wanted or all that I said I would, but I do like the turn it has taken. I suppose it could be more in depth, but oh well. Again, I apologize! Thank you to all of those who continue to read and review. It truly does help keep me motivated to continue writing. Thank you!<strong>


	8. Chapter Eight

Christmas came whether or not Eyeball approved of it. In the past this was one of the few days where the Chambers family was functional. Due to the infectious festive atmosphere and the out of town relatives visiting everyone was in a better mood, including Mr. Chambers, who was on his best, sober behavior for both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The traditions were carried on as usual- the overly welcoming of family, the cooking and holiday decorating- but despite efforts to carry out traditions with normalcy, there was no normal feeling to it. It was familiar, but not quite normal.

As he did every year, Eyeball suffered through the holiday motion. All of his cousins bored him. They were either too old or too stuck up for his taste. His only refuge had been his siblings, but even now that had changed. Chris was gone, and Dixie was not as constant now that she was busy with her fiancé around. Eyeball likes Roy well enough, but he isn't much of a talker. It's a wonder how someone so quiet and simple ended up with a loudmouth like Dixie. Occasionally Eyeball would catch a conversation alone with his sister, just long enough to make a few snide comments about whatever pathetic family member was nearby. Had been Chris been there the two of them would have been pulling off a string of small pranks to help pass the time. Last year Eyeball and Chris made a game in which they took turns stealing their Uncle Frank's hair piece while he napped and hid it throughout the house. They measured their triumphs by the length it took their uncle to find it and the anger that occurred after. Each turn became more creative and more ridiculous than the last. The game ended with the hair piece accidentally becoming a chew toy for a cousin's dog after Chris had safely, or so he thought, fastened it to the canine's head. Both boys got a scolding from their mother as well as the promise of hearing from their father later, but neither was bothered by it. It was well worth the trouble. To think a year had already passed since then felt strange to Eyeball. It felt like just yesterday, but at the same time an eternity ago.

Two days earlier, on the 23rd of December, not long after all of the relatives arrived that evening the Chambers household received a phone call. It was Officer Bell with news related to Thomas Peters, the man who had confessed to Chris' murder. In the early hours of the morning Peters had committed suicide. He had broken the small mirror that hung from a wall in his cell and used the shards to slice open his wrists. The inmate that was housed in the cell next door had heard the shattering glass and called out for help, but no one came. By the time a guard came by Peters blood had long turned cold.

"Consider it an early Christmas present," Uncle Frank said after Dennis had given the update. "Good that the bastards dead. The only shame is that one of us didn't get to do him. He lucked out on that one. Had it been me, I would have bashed every one of his teeth into that creepy fucking face of his. I'd make him bleed 'til-."

"Frank," his wife, Norma, interrupted. "It's Christmas. Let's not talk about such things now."

"Still glad the fuckers dead."

"We all are."

For the most part Eyeball feels indifferent towards it. If anything he feels bad for Peters; only just a little. The man really did do nothing to Chris, despite his confession. For the life of him Eyeball could not figure out why he would want to take claim over such a horrendous crime, any not only that but create a story that was perhaps even more terrifying than what actually happened. The details of Peters' confession had tricked down to Eyeball, most of it coming through his friends, and they disturbed him. Not only did that man say he killed Chris, but also said to have sexually assaulted the boy beforehand. The very thought of it made Eyeball sick. When Charlie had let that part of the story slip, he had to leave the room. Ace took care of Charlie's carelessness with a good punch, but nothing could get that image out of Eyeball's mind. His kid brother; Chris had already suffered so much and all of these additional tales only made it worse.

Still, Thomas Peters had not been the one who killed Chris. That was the truth. He could not forget that either. Eyeball's theory, as well as a few others in town, was that the Peters boy was pushed into the confession. The details of his story did not quite add up with the evidence, but a confession was a confession. The case was closed, and the town could finally move on. Everyone but Eyeball.

* * *

><p>Of all of the events taking place at Christmas Eyeball was looking forward to the least was the Christmas dinner. Everyone is crowded into the same room, and there is no way to escape. A second table had been set up against the Chambers' original dining table in order to squeeze everyone together. Eyeball is set at the far end between Dixie and one of their cousins. "Chris lucked out on this one," Eyeball whispers to his sister as he watches his aunt argue with their mother. Immediately he regrets it, but before he gets a chance to recant Dixie replies.<p>

"What do you think they're fighting about this time? Remember last Christmas' battle over the proper way to dust? Please don't ever let us get like that."

"It's never going to happen."

"This is going to be my last year," Dixie says as she places a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto her plate. "Next time I'm going to have my own little Christmas at my house. Just Roy, me, and the baby."

"You can't leave me here."

She passes the bowl to Eyeball. "Fine. You're invited too."

"If I'm even going to be here."

"What? Where are you going?"

"Dixie darling," Aunt Norma cuts in, "don't you think you should eat a little more? You are eating for two after all, remember? You don't want your baby to be small and sickly."

"Oh yes, Auntie Norma," Dixie says with an exaggerated smile. "You're so right. How could I forget that I have another human growing inside of me? How silly of me! I keep mistaking all of that annoying kicking for gas. Here, let me fix that since I am clearly not fat enough already." Dixie takes the wooden spoon for the mashed potatoes out of Eyeball's hand and drove it into the food. Eyeball tried to hold the bowl steady as Dixie jerks out the spoonful and plopped it down on her plate. She went in for another.

Aunt Norma scowls and turns towards Mrs. Chambers. "Marianne, you really should do something about your daughter's sass. She is a grown woman and still acts like a bratty child."

"You could just tell me," Dixie says, nearly shouting. "I am right across the table, you know." She gives the spoon back to Eyeball and whispers, "Chris definitely lucked out on this one. You know he's up there laughing at all of this."

"This is the last one," Eyeball reminds her.

"Yeah. Thank God."

"Do you know what you're having?" a female cousin asks. "A girl or a boy?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Dixie answers. The question brightens her mood. There is not much Dixie has patience for talking about as of late, but her baby is one topic she still enjoys. It is her last ticket of hope. "I think it's going to be a girl, or at least that's what I'm hoping for. Don't get me wrong, I'll be perfectly okay with a boy. Just as long as the baby is healthy and all of that other shit, but a girl would be a nice change since I've only grown up with brothers."

"Have you thought of any names yet?"

"Well, so far my two favorites are Eileen and Caroline. I keep going back between the two, but they're both so pretty!"

"What about for boys?"

Eyeball knows that Dixie hates this question. Not because she has her hopes set on a girl, but because she knows the true question that lies underneath. It would not be the first time someone would want to know if she planned on naming her child after their fallen brother. "No," Dixie answered bluntly. "Nothing really. Roy and I talked about Jeffery or something like that, but I haven't given it much thought. I still have some time."

"When are you due?" Aunt Norma asks.

"End of February or beginning or March."

"That's coming up."

"I know. Thank God!"

* * *

><p>For the rest of dinner Eyeball remained quiet unless he is asked a question. He kept his focus on his to help pass the time. Once in awhile he would steal a glance at his father, who appeared to have the same tactic when dealing with extended family. The man was even quieter. He added little to the conversations other than the occasional grunt or shrug. For a moment Eyeball almost admired him. His father can so easily sit at a table filled with people and act like he had done wrong when less than a month ago he stabbed to death his twelve year old son in just the other room. Maybe he didn't care. Maybe he was glad he did it. No matter how Dennis feels Eyeball cannot shake the feeling of guilt. This table setting, this entire house and town is driving him towards insanity. He was not lying when he told Dixie about leaving. He was going to as soon as the school year was over. He would go somewhere completely new, a place where no one knew who he or his family was. No one would know about Chris Chambers and what terrible fate fell upon him. Then maybe Eyeball would be able to forget too. The only people he had talked to about his plan were Ace and now Dixie. The third person to hear would be his father.<p>

It happened later that night, long after everyone else had retired to bed. Eyeball could not sleep, not with the loud snoring of his cousin bunking with him or the heavy thoughts that would never leave. Instead he went downstairs in hopes of finding some peace and quiet. What he found was his father. Dennis was still awake, sitting the arm chair that he dubbed his personal space in the house. His son's presence did not go unnoticed. The two stared at each other down. Eyeball, almost scared by the sight of the man, was about to turn back to bed when his father motioned for him to come over, and like always, Eyeball obeyed.

They sit together in the living room. There may only be a few feet between them, but the distance feels miles upon miles apart. The silence was becoming unbearable for Eyeball, and apparently for his father as well since he was the first to speak.

"I heard you and Dixie talking at dinner. About you leaving."

How the old man overheard that baffled Eyeball. It was possible that one of their other relatives, most likely a nosy aunt, had gotten a hold of the information and passed it along, but it doesn't matters to Eyeball. He is tired of having to lie about everything.

"Yeah. I am." He waits for his father to start yelling, but instead Dennis just chuckles.

"Can't say that I blame you," he says as he pulls out a cigarette. He takes out a second and holds it out to Eyeball. Reluctantly, he takes it. "That was my original plan, you know. Get out of this shithole town away from my shithole family as soon as I could scrounge up enough money. Looks like I fucked up that too, right?"

This is news to Eyeball. His father never spoke of his personal life, not even of his work life unless it was to bitch about someone. "Why didn't you?"

Dennis lit his cigarette and then passed back the lighter. After taking a hit he answers the question. "Your sister. Got your mama knocked up and had to do the right thing. Damned if I did, damned if I didn't. I never wanted to have a family. My own was so fucked up that I knew nothing good could come from that. I kept telling myself that I was going to do something big, be someone important. But look at where I am now. I got a wife that hates me and is scared to death of me. All of my kids hate me too. My daughter is carrying the bastard child of some damned pussy- you know, I never thought I would have to worry about that boy. Never thought he had it in him to knock someone up. Just goes to show you that you never really know someone. I got a son in the ground and the other itching to get away from me."

"You do realize that it's your fault," Eyeball says. "All of this. What did you expect would happen?"

"Not this. I never thought this is what my life would ended up like this."

A deep seeded anger begins to grow in Eyeball. "All you ever do is drink. All you ever do is come home drunk and beat on all of us. Hell, I can't remember a time when it wasn't that way! It's no wonder we're all fucking scared of you or trying to get out of here! Dixie had to get pregnant just to get away from you. Mom is always hiding out in the kitchen to avoid you. And Chris-." Eyeball's words fall short. Tears begin to cloud his eyes as his mind goes back to that day, back to the kitchen where Chris lies in his own blood. He knows he is stepping in dangerous territory, but in that moment he doesn't care.

"Why did you do it, Dad?" Eyeball asks, his voice faltering. "Why did you have to kill him?"

Dennis shifts uncomfortably. "It's not like I planned on it. I didn't wake up that morning wanting to kill him."

"But why did you do it? What he do that made you so mad that you felt like you had to do that to him?"

Eyeball waits for his father to answer. He can barely look at the man without punching him in the face, but he resists the urge. He wraps his arms tightly around himself, trying his best to hold in all of the anger and grief he has been carrying around. He expects Dennis to not answer. Surely he will react as he usually does by yelling some obscenity and storm off in a heated anger, but the man sitting in front of Eyeball is hardly the same. He looks much older, much more broken. If the room wasn't so dark Eyeball would be sure that he could see tears in his father's eyes.

"Popsicle," Dennis finally says.

"Popsicle?"

"He took one after I told him not to. I got mad and started hitting him. Nothing more than usual, just smacked him a few times."

Eyeball knew well what Mr. Chambers' usual meant. It was not a mere swat for discipline. It was full blown punches that could do damage to a fully grown man let alone a child.

"I don't even remember picking up the knife," Dennis says honestly. "He just kept yelling and I getting angrier and angrier. The next thing I knew was that I was stabbing him."

"The next thing you knew," Eyeball echoes back. "The next thing you knew? Are you serious? How the fuck do you not know you're stabbing someone?"

Dennis shrugs as if the answer was sufficient. The fall into another silence as Eyeball takes in the details of his father's story.

"A popsicle," he says in disbelief. "All of this for a fucking popsicle."

"Richard-."

"You fucking killed your own son over a stupid fucking popsicle!" Eyeball hisses. He manages to keep the volume down, but the venom in his voice is not lost. "Do you not realize how fucked up that is? Couldn't you just have taken it? Couldn't you have just said no? Couldn't you-."

"No, I couldn't! None of you god damned kids ever fucking listen to me! You have absolutely no respect for your father. You're lucky-."

"We aren't lucky. How the fuck do you expect us to respect you with the way you treat us?"

"You could have it way worse. God knows I did."

"No you didn't. Your parents didn't kill you. You killed Chris, and now that other guy is dead-."

"That sick fucker deserves to be dead! With a mind like his it was only a matter of time before he actually murdered some kid."

"You fucked up our family even more," Eyeball continues. "The whole town was terrified. Everyone thought some psycho killer was on the loose, but you know, he still is. He's fucking living right in the middle of it like nothing is wrong."

"I'm doing what's best for the family."

"You never do what's best for the family. You don't know what's best for us. If you did, we wouldn't be having this fucking conversation. You have no idea what you really are." Eyeball pauses a moment, but can no longer think of anything else to say. There just were not words for what he felt. He gets up from the couch and heads towards the stairs. "A popsicle," he mutters to himself. "A fucking popsicle."

Once up in his room, Eyeball packs up as many of his belonging he can fit into an old, worn suitcase. He tries to work quickly and quietly to avoid waking up his guests. Before leaving, Eyeball gives his childhood bedroom one last look. There were many memories, both good and bad. His eyes rest on Chris' bed, which has been left empty out of respect. That is how it will always remain; a reminder of the absence of the boy who once slept there and hid from the monster that lived in the house.

"Where are you going?" Dennis demands as Eyeball walks down the stairs.

"I'm leaving." Eyeball pauses at the bottom stair. He looks at his father. The only thing he feels is hatred. "I'm going to Ace's and wherever else I end up."

"Will you be back?"

"Why the fuck do you care?"

"Your mother will want know."

His mother. Surely her heart will break again. All of her children will be gone now. The house will be empty. "Maybe." Even as he says the words, Eyeball knows that they are a lie. Once he is out that door, he is not coming back. It doesn't matter where he ends up; any place will be better than this coffin. Eyeball opens the front door and steps outside. He stands still, taking in the dark Christmas night. The air is chilled. Despite his lack of proper clothing it does not bother him. He looks up towards the stars. Their light shines far above, breaking through the night sky, but in this moment they feel like the closest to him. The rest of the world is far beyond now, in another life. He is free.

* * *

><p><strong>Done! I apologize for taking so long. I would also like to apologize to those who are disappointed by the ending, but this is how it is supposed to be. It was from the start. I felt it was the most likely of situations. Well, it actually more likely that Eyeball is stuck in Castle Rock, but we will give him hope! So, sorry to those who are disappointed.<strong>

**Side note: I know it seems really stupid for someone to kill another- especially their own child- over something as simple as a popsicle, but it does happen. This story partially came from a true incident where a little girl was killed after taking one without asking. I have also read a true story where another child was murdered for taking a yogurt. I don't understand the world and why some people do the things they do, and maybe you feel the same now too.**

**Okay! I will stop talking now! Thank you to all of those who have followed the story from the beginning and patiently waited for updates. You are truly wonderful people, and I feel honored to have you read this and give feedback. It does mean a lot to me. Thank you for the last time!**


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